C. Vesque et al., MOLECULAR ANALYSIS OF HINDBRAIN DEVELOPME NT, Comptes rendus des seances de la Societe de biologie et de ses filiales, 187(3), 1993, pp. 364-367
Hindbrain development involves a segmentation process which in particu
lar governs cranial-motor nerves organization. We have initiated a mol
ecular analysis of this morphogenetic process by searching for genes e
xpressed in specific hindbrain segments (rhombomeres). We have identif
ied a gene encoding a transcription factor, Krox-20, which is specific
of rhombomeres 3 and 5 and several genes encoding receptor tyrosine k
inases which are also segment-specific. The study of Krox-20 has allow
ed the identification of its nucleotide target, the localization of th
e functional domains of the protein and the demonstration of its invol
vement in the transcriptional activation of the Hoxb-2 gene and in the
control of normal hindbrain development.